DWTS Pro Alan Bersten Accuses Judges of Being ‘A Little Harsh’ on Ilona Maher

On October 29, Ilona Maher and Alan Bersten had their best night of the season on Dancing with the Stars. Unfortunately, it wasn’t everything they would have hoped for.

Of course, Ilona and Alan aren’t the only ones raising some concerns about the judges. Chandler Kinney admitted she couldn’t help but take the judges’ criticisms personally. In another vein, Dwight Howard actually pushed back against some criticism from the judges.

But despite the tough pills to swallow, Alan and Ilona showed a lot of humility. Moreover, Alan gave so much credit to his partner. “I think we were working on so many things this week, and Ilona really did focus on all of them,” he said. Read on to see more of his reflections.

Alan Bersten praises Ilona Maher for her frame, actions, and sharpness: “Pristine”

Photo Credit: Disney/Andrew Eccles

In a chat with Us Weekly, Alan expressed his feelings about his performances with Ilona. He said the judges “were a little harsh with the scores, in my opinion, but they’re judges and that’s the point. We’re here to learn and we’re going to keep growing.”

Still, he took all the judges’ comments in stride. “We’re here to learn and we’re going to keep growing. So next week, we’re going to make sure to take heel steps. That is going to be priority number one.”

Alan also poured more praise on his partner. “But I am so proud of Ilona because her frame was amazing. Her head actions were amazing. Her sharpness, her legs, everything was so pristine. I’m so glad and I’m so proud of her. I’m so grateful that we’re still here. Thank you to the fans.”

“I think we were on the wrong week because this time we did more dancing, and I guess they like the lifts!” He added, “But it’s OK. Honestly, even though the critiques were hard, I felt like this was a win for us because Ilona came out there and just did so well with the dancing, in my opinion. And we’re just going to keep going.”

For her part, Ilona thanked everyone who voted. Those thanks were well-placed considering how Season 33 is breaking voting records.

Dancing with the Stars continues Tuesdays at 8/7c on ABC and Disney+.

TELL US – DO YOU THINK THE JUDGES WERE TOO HARSH ON ILONA? WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE JUDGES’ CRITIQUES THIS SEASON?